Thailand War Elephants move closer to another Suzuki Cup final
DEFENDING champion Thailand moved closer to another trip to the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup after defeating Myanmar, 2-0, in the first leg of their semifinals on Sunday night in Yangon.
Undefeated so far in this year’s edition of the biennial tournament, the War Elephants sustained their impressive run and are now on track for a return to the championship match heading home to Bangkok for their semifinal second leg.
Thailand crushed Myanmar’s hopes in their semifinal opener with two goals from forward and captain Teerasil Dangda.
The 28-year-old Teerasil put his team in front at the 23rd minute after finely set up by teammate Chanathip Songkrasin.
He then doubled their lead at the 55th minute, weaving through the home side’s defense before slotting the ball through with his left foot.
The White Angels scrambled to work their way back in the match in front of their home town crowd but the visitors were staunch on their defense, putting the pressure and not allowing Myanmar to gain much headway.
The win proved the assertion of Thailand coach Kiatisuk Senamuang in the lead- up to the semifinals to be true.
“I am confident of a good result against Myanmar. I believe Thailand is the stronger team,” Mr. Kiatisuk was quoted as saying by the official AFF Suzuki Cup Web site before the match.
Dropping the first game, Myanmar, for its part, now has to play a near-perfect game in the second leg on Thursday in Bangkok if it is to thwart Thailand’s return to the final.
Thailand booked a spot in the semifinals after breezing past the competition in Group A in games held at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan, beating Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines in that order to finish number one in the group with three wins and zero losses for nine points.
Suzuki Cup co-host Myanmar, meanwhile, ended second in Group B in games played on its own turf with a record of two wins and a loss for six points, just behind top team Vietnam and ahead of eliminated teams Malaysia and Cambodia.
The winner between Thailand and Myanmar will face the victor of the other semifinal pairing between Vietnam and Indonesia, which the latter currently leads after taking the first leg, 2-1, last Saturday. They play their semifinal second leg tomorrow in Hanoi.